This invention relates to a combined steam and vapour extraction process (SAVEX) for in situ bitumen and heavy oil production.
The Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process is currently being applied in a range of reservoirs containing highly viscous bitumen in Athabasca to heavy oil in Lloydminster (both in Canada). The theoretical and design concepts required to make this recovery process successful have been published and extensively discussed in the technical and related industry literature. A major component of the capital and operating costs associated with the implementation of any future commercial SAGD projects will be the facilities required to: generate steam, separate produced hydrocarbons from associated condensed steam, and treat produced water to provide boiler feed. The volume of water that must be handled in such SAGD operations is reflected in the predicted steam oil ratios of 2 to 3 for active or anticipated projects. Any new technology or invention that reduces the cumulative steam to oil ratio of SAGD projects and introduces a significant improvement in thermal efficiency has the potential to dramatically improve in situ development economics.
A more recent in situ process has emerged for the recovery of bitumen or heavy oil. The vapor extraction process (VAPEX) which is solvent based is being proposed as a more environmentally friendly and commercially viable alternative to SAGD. The VAPEX process is comparable to the SAGD process as horizontal well pairs with the same configuration can be deployed in both instances. Also, both processes exploit a reduction in the viscosity of the in situ hydrocarbons. This combines with the influence of gravity to achieve well bore inflow and bitumen or oil production. The bitumen or oil is produced from a horizontal production well placed as close as practical to the bottom of the reservoir. Steam or vaporized solvent is injected into the reservoir through a horizontal injection well placed some distance above the producer. The facility related capital requirements for the VAPEX process are very much less than those necessary for SAGD in that the process requires minimal steam generation and associated water treating capacity.
There are risks associated with the VAPEX process technology when applied in the field. They include a protracted start up phase with reduced bitumen or oil rates and lower ultimate recovery. The operating procedure for this process presents limited opportunity for direct measurement of performance variables that can be used to optimize reservoir conformance. This contributes to the referenced risks.
Canadian Patent 1,059,432 (Nenninger) concerns reducing the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbons in oil sand with a pressurized solvent gas such as ethane or carbon dioxide at a temperature not substantially above ambient and below its critical temperature at a pressure of between 95% of its saturation pressure and not much more than its saturation pressure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,454 (McMillen) provides a method for recovering heavy crude oil from an underground reservoir penetrated by a well which comprises heating the reservoir surrounding the well with steam at a temperature below coking temperature but sufficient to increase the temperature by 40-200xc2x0 F. (22-111xc2x0 C.) and then producing oil from the reservoir immediately after heating, without a soak period, until steam is produced and then injecting a liquid solvent having a ratio of crude viscosity to solvent viscosity of at least 10 and in an amount of from about 5-25 barrels per foot of oil-bearing formation and producing a solvent-crude mixture. This is essentially a thermal-solvent cycling system alternating between a thermal phase and a solvent phase as required.
Butler, R. M. and Mokrys. I. J. in J. Can. Petroleum Tech. 30(1) 97 (1991) discloses the VAPEX process for recovering heavy oil using hot water and hydrocarbon vapor near its dew point in an experimental Hele-Shaw cell. This process is useful in thin deposits in which heat losses to the overburden and underburden are excessive in thermal recovery processes. A solvent, such as propane, is used in a vapour-filled chamber. The resulting solution drains under gravity to a horizontal production well low in the formation. Solvent vapour is injected simultaneously with hot water to raise the reservoir temperature by 4-80xc2x0 C. Diluted bitumen interacts with the hot water to redistil some of the vapour (e.g. propane) for further use. This also redistributes heat through the reservoir.
Butler, R. M. and Mokrys, I. J. in J. Can. Petroleum Techn. 32(6) 56 (1993) discuss and disclose further details of the VAPEX process using a large, sealed physical model.
Das, S. K. and Butler, R. M. in J. Can. Petroleum Tech. 33(6) 39 (1994) discuss the effect of asphaltene on the VAPEX process. A concern in use of the VAPEX process is possible plugging of the reservoir by deposited asphaltenes affecting the flow of diluted oil. This reference indicates that this is not necessarily a problem.
Das, K. K. in his Ph.D. dissertation of the University of Calgary (March 1995) on pages 129, 132-133 and 219-220 discusses VAPEX production rates from crudes of different viscosities. While the actual performance of the VAPEX process on crudes of higher viscosity is lower, the relative performance is better.
Palmgren, C. et al at the International Heavy Oil Symposium at Calgary, Alberta (1995) (SPE 30294) discusses the possible use of high temperature naphtha to replace steam in the SAGD process, i.e. naphtha assisted gravity drainage (NAGD). Naphtha recovery at the end is necessary for NAGD to compete with SAGD.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,274 (Frauenfeld et al) discloses a solvent-assisted method for mobilizing viscous heavy oil. The process comprises mixing at least two solvents, each soluble in oil, to form a substantially gaseous solvent mixture having a dew point that substantially corresponds with reservoir temperature and pressure, is a mix of liquid and vapour (but predominantly vapour) under such temperature and pressure and injecting the substantially gaseous solvent mixture into the reservoir to mobilize and recover reservoir-contained oil. This process reduces the need to manipulate reservoir temperature and pressure (a requirement of the VAPEX process). The solvent mix is chosen to suit the reservoir conditions rather than the other way round.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,016 (Butler) concerns a process and apparatus for recovery of hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon (oil) reservoir. The process employs a non-condensible displacement gas along with a hydrocarbon solvent at a sufficient pressure to limit water ingress into the recovery zone. It appears to be a variant of the VAPEX process.
Butler, R. M. in Thermal Recovery of Oil and Bitumen, Grav-Drain Inc., Calgary, Alberta (1997) p. 292, 300 and 301 discusses calculated drainage rates for field conditions in the SAGD process.
Komery, D. P. et al, Seventh UNITAL International Conference, Beijing, China 1998 (No 1998.214) discuss pilot testing of post-steam bitumen recovery from mature SAGD wells in Canada with comments on the economics of the process.
Das, S. K. and Butler, R. M. in J. Petroleum Sci. Eng. 21 43 (1998) discuss the mechanism of the vapour extraction process for heavy oil and bitumen.
Saltuklaroglu, M. et al in CSPG and Petroleum Society Joint Convention in Calgary, Canada (1999), paper 99-25, discuss Mobil""s SAGD experience at Celtic, Saskatchewan using single well and dual well systems. Donnelly, J. K. in the same joint Convention paper 99-26, compared SAGD with Cyclic Steam Stimulation (CSS).
Luhning, R. W. et al at the CHOA Conference at Calgary, Canada (1999) discuss the economics of the VAPEX process.
Butler, R. M. et al in J. Can Petroleum Tech. 39(1) 18 (2000) discuss the methodology for calculating a variety of parameters related to SAGD and disclose the development of a computer program, RISEWELL, to perform such calculations.
Butler, R. M. and Jiang, Q. in J. Can. Petroleum Techn. 39(1) 48 (2000) discuss ways of fine-tuning the VAPEX process for field use.
The invention provides a process for recovery of hydrocarbons from an underground reservoir of said hydrocarbons, the underground reservoir being penetrated by an injection well and a production well spaced from the injection well, the process comprising:
(a) injecting steam into said reservoir thereby heating said reservoir to mobilize and recover at least a fraction of reservoir hydrocarbons and to form a steam chamber in said reservoir; and then,
(b) continuing to inject steam into said reservoir and mobilize and recover reservoir hydrocarbons therefrom until at least one of (i) an upper surface of said chamber has progressed vertically to a position that is approximately 25 to 75%, preferably 40 to 60%, or about 50% the distance from the bottom of the injection well to the top of the reservoir, and (ii) the recovery rate of said hydrocarbons is approximately 25 to 75%, preferably 40 to 60%, or about 50% of the peak predicted recovery rate using steam-assisted gravity drainage; and
(c) injecting into the reservoir a viscosity reducing solvent of at least an additional fraction of reservoir hydrocarbons, said solvent being capable of existing in vapor form in said chamber and being just below said solvent""s saturation pressure in said chamber thereby mobilizing and recovering an additional fraction of hydrocarbons from said reservoir.
Depending upon the particular circumstances there may or may not be a phase in which both steps (b) and (c) are practised simultaneously. This phase may be transitional before step (b) is stopped and the process continues with step (c) alone.
Preferred solvents include C1 to C8 normal hydrocarbons, i.e. methane, ethane, propane, butane, pentane, hexane, heptane and octane especially ethane or propane, or a mixture thereof.
Additionally a displacement gas may be employed in step (c) before, during or after injection of the solvent. A displacement gas is a gas that is non-condensible at reservoir temperature and pressure conditions. Examples include nitrogen, natural gas, methane and carbon dioxide. Methane can act as a solvent or as a displacement gas depending upon the particular prevailing conditions.
A preferred and useful feature of this invention is recovery of volumes of viscosity reducing solvent from the reservoir after cessation of injection, for example during a xe2x80x9cblow downxe2x80x9d by continuing production and dropping the pressure in the reservoir. The recovered viscosity reducing solvent can be employed in adjacent active wells.
This invention can be distinguished from steam start-up processes in that steam is used not just as a start-up but until a chamber has been formed in the reservoir that is of sufficient size to allow the solvent stage to take over without the need to alternate between steam and solvent stages to effect recovery.
The injection well and the production well are both laterally extending, preferably substantially horizontally. The production well can run parallel to and below the injection well.